Jul. 21, 2015

Los Angeles County Judge James C Chalfant declines request by Sister Rita Callanan and Sister Catherine Rose Holzman to block Archdiocese of Los Angeles from selling eight-acre property that once housed their order to pop singer Katy Perry; nuns insist that they control property of their Immaculate Heart of Mary order. MORE

Jul. 20, 2015

Two nuns at Sisters of the Most Holy and Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary file legal objection against Archdiocese of Los Angeles, intensifying ongoing dispute over sale of convent and raising questions of authority of civil and canon law; claim that sale of property to pop singer Katy Perry would force them to violate their vows to Catholic Church. MORE

Jun. 21, 2015

Corey Kilgannon Character Study on Catholic nun Ana Martinez de Luco, who founded and runs can and bottle redemption center Sure We Can, in East Williamsburg, Brooklyn. MORE

May. 18, 2015

Pope Francis canonizes Sister Mariam Baouardy and Sister Marie Alphonsine Ghattas, two 19th-century nuns from Ottoman-ruled Palestine; move is seen as bid of support for Palestine sovereignty, as well as means of encouraging both Middle Eastern Christians and women. MORE

May. 15, 2015

Representatives of Leadership Conference of Women Religious, which encompasses some 80 percent of American nuns, describe three years of closed-door negotiations with Archbishop J Peter Sartain that resulted in joint report and reconciliation; sisters say they were surprised to find in Sartain, and through him Pope Francis, a sympathetic partner who addressed their concerns and their acute sense of betrayal after Vatican reprimanded them in 2012. MORE

May. 3, 2015

Nuns in Italy are helping migrant women forced into prostitution to escape their handlers and gain legal documents and employment skills via network of shelters and collectives. MORE

Apr. 18, 2015

Editorial applauds Pope Francis for halting inquiry into American Catholic nuns begun in 2012 by Benedict XVI; contends that chauvinism-steeped inquiry in fact revealed extent to which nuns are deeply involved in helping neediest people in society; applauds Francis for allowing nuns to continue such work unimpeded. MORE

Apr. 17, 2015

Vatican ends inquiry into Leadership Conference of Women Religious, main leadership group of American nuns; confrontation, initiated by Pope Francis' predecessor Benedict, had been prompted by group's deviation from church doctrine on all-male priesthood, sexuality and birth control; move is seen as effort to compromise with incensed American Catholics ahead of Francis' fall visit to the US. MORE

Mar. 27, 2015

Police arrest two suspects in connection with rape of elderly nun during robbery of convent school in India. MORE

Mar. 15, 2015

Elderly nun is raped during robbery of convent school in West Bengal, India; thieves made off with about $9,000 in cash and valuables. MORE

Dec. 21, 2014

Editorial applauds report from Pope Francis's Vatican offering praise and gratitude to the 50,000 American nuns who quietly labor among nation's downtrodden and impoverished; contends original inquiry into behavior and fidelity of the sisters, ordered by Pope Benedict XVI, was underpinned by male chauvinism; urges Pope Francis to ensure that second stage of inquiry focuses just as positively on contributions of American's modern nuns. MORE

Dec. 17, 2014

Investigation by Vatican into Catholic nuns that began six years earlier concludes with mostly positive report acknowledging accomplishments and challenges of women in religious service. MORE

Nov. 21, 2014

Profile of Sister Lisa Maurer, Benedictine nun who coaches kickers and punters for the 10-0 Saints at College of St Scholastica in Duluth, Minn; Maurer is one of 87 sisters from the Benedictine Order living in the monastery at the Division III college. MORE

Sep. 18, 2014

Vice President Joseph R Biden Jr speaks in Des Moines as he helps group of social justice activists kick off their 10-state 'Nuns on the Bus' tour; gives his support to group of women that the Vatican says pay too much attention to social justice and too little to promoting church teaching on issues like abortion and same-sex marriage. MORE

Aug. 17, 2014

Nicholas Kristof Op-Ed column praises Jo Piazza book If Nuns Ruled the World for highlightingthe many ways nuns epitomize selflessness and compassion; criticizes Pope Francis and the Catholic Church for continuing to investigate and clamp down on American nuns in harsh crackdown; urges Vatican to spend less time investigating nuns and the public to spend less time mocking them. MORE

Jun. 20, 2014

Stone Park Journal; Sisters of St Charles in Chicago suburb file lawsuit against the owners of Club Allure, strip club next to their convent, claiming that the noise interrupts their prayers and the location violates state law; proprietors of the club insist that its presence is perfectly legal and that they have no reason to leave; dispute has drawn attention of nearby residents, many of whom have rallied to the nuns' side, complaining about late-night noise and increased traffic. MORE

Jun. 17, 2014

Michigan villages of Fowler and Westphalia have each produced 22 priests, defying the trend of shrinking Roman Catholic clergy across the rest of the country; elevation of religious life in two communities has also had an effect on young women--Westphalia has produced 37 Catholic nuns over the decades, while Fowler claims 43. MORE

Jun. 7, 2014

Many question whether victory of Sister Cristina Scuccia in TV talent competition The Voice of Italy will possibly lead her astray from her religious calling, given that winner of the competition receives a recording contract. MORE

May. 11, 2014

Maureen Dowd Op-Ed column criticizes Pope Francis for Catholic Church's crackdown on liberal American nuns who desire compromise on issues like contraception, gay relationships and the ordination of women; holds that moves undermine Francis' image of mercy, inclusion and justice. MORE

May. 7, 2014

Voice of Italy, Italian version of American television show The Voice, has become a phenomenon due to Sister Cristina Scuccia, nun who dresses in a full habit and has succeeded repeatedly on the show; some observers say Sister Cristina's success is another byproduct of the new tone established during the first year of the papacy of Pope Francis, with the outpouring of public support seen as proof of the so-called Francis effect. MORE

Mar. 11, 2014

Video of unusual prisoner swap between the Syrian government and insurgents appears to confirm the government has been holding women and children prisoner, including relatives of suspected opposition fighters; prisoners were swapped with Syrian nuns the opposition fighters had held for more than three months. MORE

Mar. 10, 2014

Syrian insurgents release 13 nuns and three attendants who were held for three months after being abducted from monastery in ancient Christian town of Maaloula; release ends drama in which rebels said they were protecting nuns from government shelling and Syrian officials said they were abducted in act of intimidation against Christians. MORE

Aug. 11, 2013

Editorial highlights work of the Congregation of the Maryknoll Sisters of St Dominic, which was founded by Mary Josephine Rogers, who will be inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in October; notes that the membership among the sisters is declining, with many of the sisters being of advanced age. MORE

May. 21, 2013

Group of priests and nuns calling themselves Catholic Whistleblowers are organizing effort to stop sexual predators in Roman Catholic Church, pushing for enforcement of zero-tolerance policies; aim is to support both victims and fellow whistle-blowers, and identify shortcomings in church policies. MORE

Apr. 16, 2013

Pope Francis reaffirms reprimand of Leadership Conference of Women Religious issued by his predecessor Pope Benedict XVI; Vatican has said group of American nuns is tinged with feminist influences and focuses too much on ending social and economic injustice and questioning church doctrine. MORE

Mar. 13, 2013

Nuns of New Skete in Cambridge, NY, live simple, pious life; but their bakery provides rich, tempting cheesecakes for their customers; for at least 1,500 years, monastic orders have been producing fine foods and spirits to barter and sell. MORE

Dec. 8, 2012

Mark Oppenheimer Beliefs column describes how Chicago playwright Vicki Quade, who has written five theatrical comedies featuring funny nuns, now uses her shows to raise money for Catholic sisters. MORE

Dec. 2, 2012

Song by Sister Kathy Sherman of the Sisters of St Joseph of La Grange in Illinois, written in response to the Vatican’s rebuke of the main association of American nuns, has become an anthem for those who support them. MORE

Sep. 18, 2012

Editorial praises the work of the Sisters of St Joseph, society of New York Roman Catholic nuns; contends their work effectively rebuts criticisms levied by the Vatican that American nuns have 'serious doctrinal problems' and 'radical feminist' tendencies. MORE

Aug. 11, 2012

Sister Megan Rice, a Roman Catholic nun and peace activist, and two male accomplices are arrested for what nuclear experts call the biggest security breach in the history of the nation’s atomic complex, having made their way to the inner sanctum of the site where the United States keeps crucial nuclear bomb parts and fuel; with flashlights and bolt cutters, the three pacifists defied barbed wire as well as armed guards, video cameras and motion sensors at the Oak Ridge nuclear reservation in Tennessee. MORE

Aug. 11, 2012

Heads of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, the nation's largest group of nuns, say they will dialogue with the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church rather than escalate conflict over social and political views. MORE

Aug. 9, 2012

More than 900 Roman Catholic nuns gather in St Louis to discuss their next move in response to Vatican assessment describing them as disobedient dissenters and ordering an overhaul of their organization, the Leadership Conference of Women Religious. MORE

Jul. 29, 2012

American nuns meeting in St Louis will try to decide how to respond to a scathing critique of their doctrinal loyalty issued in spring by the Vatican--a report that has prompted Roman Catholics across the country to rally to the nuns' defense; nuns will weigh whether to cooperate with three bishops assigned to supervise the overhaul of their organization, the Leadership Conference of Women Religious. MORE

Jun. 19, 2012

Group of Roman Catholic nuns has begun a nine-state bus tour protesting proposed federal budget cuts, saying that they are not trying to flout recent Vatican criticism but feel called to show how Republican policies are affecting low-income families. MORE

Jun. 18, 2012

Bill Keller Op-Ed column expresses support for the idea that Catholics who disagree with the church's teachings should leave it, as Bill Donohue suggests in his book Why Catholicism Matters; opines that those who have brought honor to the church at great sacrifice, like the nuns who have been reprimanded by the Vatican for not being sufficiently opposed to birth control and gay marriage, be give a severance package by the church. MORE

Jun. 13, 2012

Vatican meets with representatives of an association of American nuns that it had deemed to be too feminist. MORE

Jun. 6, 2012

Group of Roman Catholic nuns is planning a bus trip across nine states this month, stopping at homeless shelters, food pantries, schools and health care facilities run by nuns to highlight their work with the nation’s poor and disenfranchised; tour is a response to a blistering critique of American nuns released in April by the Vatican’s doctrinal office, which included the accusation that the nuns are outspoken on issues of social justice, but silent on other issues the church considers crucial, such as abortion and gay marriage. MORE

Jun. 6, 2012

Maureen Dowd Op-Ed column asserts that the Vatican's censure of the book Just Love: A Framework for Christian Sexual Ethics by Sister Margaret Farley is the latest chapter in its thuggish crusade to push American nuns and all Catholic women back into subservience. MORE

Jun. 5, 2012

Vatican’s doctrinal office denounces American nun Sister Margaret A Farley for publishing book Just Love: A Framework for Christian Sexual Ethics, which attempts to present a theological rationale for same-sex relationships, masturbation and remarriage after divorce; it is second time since 2011 that a book written by an American nun has been censured by the church's hierarchy. MORE

Jun. 2, 2012

Leadership Conference of Women Religious announces that it will not accept the Vatican's condemnation and will send representatives to Rome to open a dialogue with Vatican officials; Vatican said the nuns failed to uphold Catholic doctrine. MORE

Jun. 2, 2012

Editorial cheers the spirited defense put forward by the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, the largest and most influential group of Catholic nuns in the United States, six weeks after the Vatican's unjustified attack on their fidelity; holds that the nuns are asking for nothing more than an opportunity to confer with Vatican officials about some basic issues of gender equality in the church. MORE

May. 16, 2012

Op-Ed article by author Anne M Butler, citing recent Vatican reproach of American nuns for their liberal views on social and political issues, says tension between nuns and the Roman Catholic Church's male hierarchy has its roots in 19th century; notes nuns literally built the church in the American West, braving hardship and grueling circumstances, despite being exploited and disdained by the priests and bishops. MORE

May. 2, 2012

Jim Dwyer About New York column on investigation by Roman Catholic finding serious doctrinal problems with nuns in United States; holds that report seems to have missed the actuality of the life that nuns live in New York City, where they turn the lowest places, like homeless shelters, into cathedrals of hope and conscience. MORE

Apr. 29, 2012

Nicholas D Kristof Op-Ed column criticizes the Roman Catholic Church for issuing a stinging reprimand of American nuns for not doing enough to fight abortion and gay marriage; asserts that nuns advocating for social justice are following the teachings of Jesus Christ. MORE

Apr. 29, 2012

Maureen Dowd Op-Ed column finds it shocking that the Roman Catholic Church appears to be more horrified by nuns helping poor people than by priests preying on children. MORE

Apr. 20, 2012

Editorial criticizes the Vatican for attempting to rein in the advocacy work done by the Leadership conference of Women Religious, largely because of its support for Pres Obama's health care reform law; holds American nuns are clearly caught in a crossfire of church doctrine, politics and hierarchical obedience. MORE

Apr. 19, 2012

Vatican appoints an American bishop to rein in the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, the nation's most influential group of Catholic nuns; church claims the group has 'serious doctrinal problems' that include challenges to church doctrine on homosexuality and the male priesthood, as well as the promotion of feminist ideals. MORE

Nov. 13, 2011

Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia, Roman Catholic order of 540 nuns, has become one of the most surprising groups of corporate activists; they have used investments in their retirement fund to become Wall Street's moral minority and unusual example of shareholder activism. MORE

Ceil Roeger was 50 years old when she decided to sell her house in Houston, get rid of her furniture and become a nun. Mary Beth Sutton, a 39-year-old insurance executive from Detroit, entered the convent as the final stage of recovery from alcohol addiction. Diana Jeffries took her vows of poverty, chastity and obedience after her eight-year marriage fell apart. These women represent the changing face of the American nun. While the vows they have taken are the same ones women took in the fourth century, the way they are choosing to live them out is quite different, and the effect on their orders is profound. Including Other Lives Thirty years ago novices, as new nuns are called, went to the convent right from high school. They would leave their families and friends behind as they slid into a quiet life of prayer behind tall walls and dark habits.

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Nuns in the Sisters of the Most Holy and Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary said in court papers that they were being bullied and betrayed by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles into supporting a sale to Katy Perry.